Steven Cohen (B.A. 2014, M.M. 2015) returns to Nebraska to present a recital on September 5, 2018 in Kimball Recital Hall of works from his debut album, Cruise Control. Born out of a desire to create new music for the French horn, Cruise Control features five completely new and major works for the French Horn by American composers, all of which Steven commissioned for the album. The recital will highlight four work from this visionary project, which was recorded and produced in Omaha, Nebraska. The program will open with the world premiere of Adam Wolf’s Cruise Control for Horn, Piano, and Percussion, an exhilarating chamber work depicting the changing scenery of California’s costal highways while going 160 mph. Following Wolf’s work is James Naigus’ Sonata for Horn and Piano, which is receiving its Nebraska premiere. Mr. Naigus’ Sonata is one of the most anticipated works to come to the horn community this decade and its three movements are meant to evoke the “innate and characteristic qualities of the horn: beauty, melancholy, and triumph.” Also on the program and receiving its Nebraska premieres is Wayne Lu’s Pranayama, a work for solo unaccomplished horn. The program concludes with the Nebraska premiere of Gina Gillie’s Sonata for Horn and Piano, a tour de force work for the horn that takes listeners on a musical adventure around the world.

Steven Cohen has been heard internationally as an orchestral, Broadway, and chamber musician. A freelance horn player based in New York, he is a frequent guest with orchestras in the New York area and the Midwest, while performing with various national touring Broadway productions such as Wicked, The Lion King, and The Phantom of the Opera. During the holiday season, Cohen can be seen with Mannheim Steamroller. He holds a master of music and a bachelor of arts from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Free and open to the public.

Program: https://unl.box.com/s/eht3s60g3soq9xpkigamsaffhs8q7eyv